Conviction in ‘LarkFest’ day rampage; triple-stabbing followed dismissal of attempted murder case in Troy in ’08

In May 2008, Anthony Harden faced 25 years in prison if convicted of repeatedly stabbing a man during a fight in Troy.

But a Troy City Court judge ruled that Rensselaer County prosecutors violated Harden’s constitutional right to a speedy trial and the attempted murder case against the Troy ex-convict was tossed.

Now Harden, 30, is headed to prison — for a different stabbing in a different city.

On Friday, a jury in Albany convicted Harden of stabbing three men during a September rampage at the edge of Washington Park.

Harden, who was a passenger in a car driving out of the park, had exchanged words with a soldier and six college students as they walked away from the city’s annual LarkFest.

Instead of ending it there, Harden got out of the car, took off his shirt and chased the group down State Street. He broke the soldier’s nose —- then stabbed him, the soldier’s brother and a third victim, exclaiming, “I live for this, this is what I do!”

Harden now faces the prospect of living for decades in prison. A jury found him guilty of three counts of first-degree assault, each punishable by up to 25 years behind bars. Sentencing by Judge Thomas Breslin is set for April 1.